Microsoft reported quarterly revenue of $92.3bn and profit exceeding $36.6bn, surpassing analyst expectations. Analysts, according to FactSet data, had forecast revenue of approximately $90.6bn and profit of $35.1bn. The figures were released in a securities filing on Wednesday, and the company gained billions of dollars in market value later that afternoon.
Results were driven by growth in the Azure cloud computing division, which rose 48 per cent in the September quarter. Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella issued a statement to mark the release of the results. The company is simultaneously spending heavily on artificial intelligence investments.
The quarterly report was published two days after Microsoft offered voluntary severance to approximately 60,000 employees, or roughly a quarter of its workforce. This is the second time this year the company has offered voluntary severance to staff; in April, it offered seven per cent of its US workforce the option of early retirement.
Microsoft had 223,000 employees globally at the end of June, compared with 228,000 employees at the end of 2025. Earlier this month, the company announced a new Surface Ultra laptop, which runs on Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips and will cost more than $2,500. Apple announced a similar touch-screen MacBook this week.
